Team:Fudan/Achievement

Achievement

ACHIEVEMENT
Overview

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), formed by non-sequential back-splicing of pre-mRNA transcripts, are a wide- spread form of non-coding RNA in animal cells. Various function of natural existed circRNA revealed recently shows that circRNA can be used as powerful tools in future research and health care. However, there is no toolbox to generate circRNA up to date, which restrict the research and application of circRNA. Our project focus on the devices to cyclize specific part of RNA, aiming to start a circRNA revolution.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs expressed in different tissue and cell types that suppress the expression of target genes. Certain miRNAs, called oncomiRs, play a causal role in the onset and maintenance of cancer when overexpressed. Due to the resistance to exonucleases, circRNAs sponge are promising tools for regulating oncomiRs.

We designed three types of devices to cyclize the RNA based on the back-splicing mechanism：the “Ouroboros”（cyclizing device based on the inverted repeat sequence in the exon-flanking region）, the “Cyclizer”（proteins that accelerate RNA cyclization)and the acRNA(ssRNA that accelerate RNA cyclization).

We experimentally validate that our device can accelerate the formation of cirRNA. We also measured the half-life time of the circRNA, which proved its stability. To solidity our experiment procedure, we designed a device to report the level of mir-21 concentration and modeled the steady state of proteins to confirm our design.

Our devices provide huge possibility for cirRNA research and regulating oncomiRs. With our editable RNA binding domain of “Cyclizer”, we will eventually accomplish the cyclization of any selected exon based on the back-splicing mechanism. Our “Ouroboros” has already been proved to be an efficient tool for ceRNA research and miRNA-function research. It is also promising to investigate the usage of our circRNA sponge in fighting cancer, for our sponge has display powerful ability to regulate oncomiRs.

Apart from our lab work, we also took active part in the educational outreach activities which has had huge influences on and off campus. As sociable participants in iGEM, we have collaboration with NYU_Shanghai, ZJU-China and NCTU Formosa, and mentored a high school team WLSA_Fudan-Shanghai.

Bronze:

  • 1. We have registered for iGEM, had a great summer, and attended the Giant Jamboree. Yeah!
  • 2. We have completed the Judging form.
  • 3. We have created and shared a Description of our team's project using the iGEM wiki, and we have documented the team's parts using the Registry of Standard Biological Parts.
  • 4. We have registered to present a poster and a talk at the iGEM Jamboree.
  • 5. We have create a page on your team wiki with clear attribution of each aspect of your project.
    (See: https://2015.igem.org/Team:Fudan/Attributions)
  • 6. We have documented several new standard BioBrick Parts or Device central to your project and the submitted these new parts to the iGEM Registry.
    (See: https://2015.igem.org/Team:Fudan/Parts)

Silver:

Gold:

  • 1. We had a lively class about transgenic technology and our project in a high school!
  • 2. We did popularization of science on the street to reduce people’s fear about GMO food.
  • 3. We attended an event to introduce our project to visitors in Shanghai Science&Technology Museum.
    (See: https://2015.igem.org/Team:Fudan/Pracitices)
  • 4. We helped NYU_Shanghai with experiment problems and mentored a new high school team WLSA_Fudan-Shanghai, which is from the High School Affiliated to Fudan University.
    (See: https://2015.igem.org/Team:Fudan/Collaboration)
  • 5. We have designed a linker BBa_K1777005，which is an improvement of the part(BBa_K1486003). Our parts BBa_K1777001, BBa_K1777002 and BBa_K1777003 are all using Beta-globin intron splicing site, which makes a magnifiscent progress(BBa_K404107).
    (See: https://2015.igem.org/Team:Fudan/Description)
  • 6. One prototype of our cyclizing device is a powerful research tool. Our device is designed for researcher who want to investigate certain types of circRNAs or microRNAs. We used our device to cyclize a RNA and test its half-life time, and that was the first time in our lab that the half-life time of a specific circRNA could be tested! We also used one of our parts to report low mir-21 concentration, which is also one of the prototype that our device can be used in real research program.
    (See: https://2015.igem.org/Team:Fudan/Results)

Best Education and Public Engagement Our team has devoted to the popularization of science! Inspired by a hot debate on transgenic technology and GMOs in China, in a year’s time, our team together held six successful lecture in our university to share the basic knowledge of different areas of biology. All of these lectures were delivered by the leading scientists in these areas and this series of events has become the most influential lectures held by Chinese iGEM team.

This all comes from the shock that students in our university, who are supposed to be the most educated and intelligent students in China, lack the basic ideas about transgenic technology. However, we are not satisfied with our achievements on the campus. We search places outside our university to make more difference. We worked hard to get the chance to give a speech to all the students in a high school. We explained the simple principle of GMO food to the passengers and handed out leaflets on the street. We introduced our project to visitors in Shanghai Science&Technology Museum. We cannot list all the efforts we’ve made to get involved into this big issue, but we can prove that our sincerity do make a difference!
(See: https://2015.igem.org/Team:Fudan/Pracitices)